French Women Don't Get Fat

By: Mireille Guiliano

Narrated by: Kathe Mazur

The book we've all (certainly every woman between 25 and 75) been waiting for. Classy, chic, convincing, funny, wise, well-written and very timely. It's the ultimate non-diet book, which nonetheless shows us how to eat with balance, control and above all pleasure.

Chuck out all the radical diet books, think about what you eat and why, and then enjoy eating the right things (and some of the wrong ones) intelligently, and in smaller portions. Eat, like a French woman, with your head not your stomach.

Guiliano, French-born and bred, gets the tone absolutely right. She succeeds in that rare high-wire act of being really serious about her subject but without taking herself too seriously; manages to encourage and inspire and amuse, without being bossy or earnest. This is a book that will make you laugh out loud and yet have you following several of her practical precepts within days - everyone who reads it becomes evangelical (French women don't go to the gym, they climb the stairs-). It combines just the right balance of memoir, wisdom, wit, delicious recipes, and French common sense.

Guiliano emphasizes the virtues of freshness, variety, personal taste, enjoyment and, above all, portion control (research shows that dishes served in US restaurants are 25% larger than those served in restaurants in France!).

©2005 Mireille Guiliano (P)2014 Random House Audiobooks

Disappointing

Any additional comments?

While I didn't really expect any new information, I thought it would be at least interesting or motivating but it was neither. It was also frustrating to listen to the narrator recite phrases in French before or after she said it in English (we get it, you can speak French!). And I lost count if the amount of times the author plugged wine or champagne made by the company she works for. It just sounded like a hard sell. There were also a fair few recipes which doesn't work as an audio book. Disappointing.